All About Fonts

All About Fonts

While computers are highly intelligent, using different fonts can impact how well an Applicant Tracking System (ATS) parses your resume. Any letter, punctuation, or extra space that is of a different style or size could be flagged by an ATS. You may not notice that small of a detail, but a computer surely will. If you received a flag related to your font, there are likely multiple fonts of different sizes throughout your resume that you cannot see. 

Type

Take a good look at your resume and ask yourself if the font type is the same throughout. You should only have one type on your resume, including the header. We suggest using bold, italics, and underling to differentiate sections instead of using a different font. Follow these instructions to check your font before converting your resume to a PDF: 

1. Click Ctrl + A (or Command ⌘ +A' for Macs) to highlight your text in Microsoft Word or Google Docs. 
   1. If the Font box is blank, you have multiple fonts throughout your resume. Make changes so you only use one type. 
   2. If the Font box shows a font type, you only have one font throughout your resume. 
2. Change your font to one that is readable, appropriate, and professional (i.e., Arial, Times, Sans Serif).

Sizes 

You should never have more than 3 different text sizes throughout your resume. Instead, utilize bold, italics, and underlines to differentiate sections on your resume. Follow these instructions to check your text size before converting your resume to a PDF: 

1. Click Ctrl + A (or Command ⌘ + A for Macs) to highlight your text in Microsoft Word or Google Docs.
2. Change all of your text to one font size. 
3. Add different-sized section titles and/or experiences to separate sections on your resume. Make sure you do not use more than 3 different sizes.